Breaking At My Seams
by Demonic Fairytale
Summary: You can't hide from your past, no matter how fast you run or how far you think you've gotten. That's not about to stop him, though. Nick/Ellis, tasteful progression. Ellis POV. Rating may change.
1. In the Beginning

Breaking at My Seams

**Summary: **You can't hide from your past, no matter how fast you run or how far you think you've gotten. That's not about to stop him, though. Nick/Ellis, tasteful progression. Ellis POV.

**Author's Notes: **Yes, this is YAOI. Don't like it, don't read it. It's that simple, I promise. Flames will only be used to fuel inside jokes between my friends and I, so don't bother. Critiques however, are welcome.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own L4D2, characters or anything else related to it. This story is simply fan-fiction and thoughts of the imagination.

+**LINEBREAK**+

It's quiet, for the first time in a long while as I sit by myself, on watch by the door. I have the first two hours to keep an eye out for zombies, mostly Spitters as the damn things could get acid _under_ the safe-house door. Which is probably why the others had chosen to sleep as far away from the steel door as possible. I sigh quietly and pull my hat down a little further over my eyes, the grip I had on my hunting rifle loosening. I hadn't heard anything more than a moan from a far off zombie for the last half hour or so, and wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing, but I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. It had been a while since I could let my guard down.

My eyes flicker over to the sleeping forms of my team-mates and I let myself smile a little. Coach is sprawled out on the floor, much like a sun-bathing animal, his snores making the table beside him shake. Rochelle is in the back corner, her gun beside her should she need it in a second, a tattered towel her only blanket. As for Nick... I blinked, and frowned slightly. Nick _had_ been sleeping not far from Rochelle, but his spot against the wall was vacant now, give or take a few beetles. I tried to think of when the conman might have moved, and for what reason when a voice damn near made me jump out of my skin.

"Looking for something, Overalls?"

I whip around, dropping my gun as I did so. Thankfully the weapon didn't make much of a noise, letting the sleeping survivors continue to rest. Nick raised an eyebrow at me, no doubt thinking up insults for my clumsiness and abrupt response to his voice.

"Christ, Nick! Ya scared the crap outta me!" I whispered, calming down. Not sure who else I was expecting, but it had startled me. Kind of like a car alarm going off in the dead of night. He simply shrugged and leaned on one of the boxes to my left, cigarette in hand. I frowned, "You really gotta smoke tha' in here?" I asked, tempted to reach out and take it from the man. Nick raised an eyebrow at me, "And where else would you have me smoke? Outside with the zombies?" He asked and I bit my lip. Right. That was a problem, wasn't it? Couldn't exactly go outside for a break with the hunger-ridden pests out there. "You could always jus' not smoke." I replied after a second and he scoffed, like it was the most idiotic thing he'd heard all day. Despite that, he said nothing and put out the cigarette, or 'cancer-stick' as my Ma' had called it. I chuckle a little, remembering the first time my Ma' and I passed someone out smoking outside a small grocery. I must've been no older than five, and there she was, lecturing me on taking better care of myself than that 'greasy man back o'er there.'

"Something funny, Kid?" Nick asked, his green eyes resting their gaze on me, no doubt wondering what my sudden amusement was from. I grin and pull my hat down a little further over my face, looking up to meet his eyes, "Jus' thinkin' is all. 'Bout my Ma'. You know, she woulda hated ya." I laugh and Nick rolls his eyes, "Wouldn't be the first person to hate me, kid." He replied, his eyes still resting on me. It was a little unnerving to tell the truth, but I wasn't about to give him something else to tease me about. "Well maybe if ya were a little less grumpy more folks would like ya." I replied with a smile. Nick looked at me for a minute before snorting and turning his gaze to the steel doors. In a quick movement he drew his magnum and shot a wandering zombie right between the eyes. The decaying body fell to the ground, the fragile bones making a disturbing noise. I grimaced and moved my eyes to the floor, which suddenly seemed very interesting.

Silence fell over us after that, as we stayed where we were, waiting for the sun to rise. I was tempted to ask Nick why he hadn't gone back to sleep, his shift being tomorrow night at the next safe house, but I didn't really want to break the peace. It was the most calm I'd felt in weeks, since this whole thing had started. It wasn't like I'd forgotten about everything- It would take more than a moment of silence to make me forget the copper smell on my clothes and the feel of crusted bile sticking to my skin -but it was a moment when we weren't all running from a tank, or screaming in panic as a smoker grabbed us around the waist. That was all I could ask for, really. The sun started to show over the horizon, signaling an end to my shift, but I didn't wake Rochelle. Let her sleep, I decided, not like an extra hour or so up would cause me any harm. And while it might have been selfish, I wanted this moment to myself. Myself and Nick, I supposed, as the conman was still right beside me.

Pulling my hat down over my face I smiled and waited the arrival of the full morning light.

+**LINEBREAK**+

"Ah man, ya know, Mud Men take aaaallll the fun outta mud!" I complained, lodging a bullet in the zombie's head as it slithered through the water towards me. Damn things were fast and they'd almost dragged me under the murky water a few times when I hadn't been paying close attention. "I'm getting' tired of 'em real fast. Can't wait to be outta this swamp!"

"For once, I agree with Ellis. God damn these Mud Men." Nick hissed from my right as he reloaded his pistol. He wore his usual frown on his face, though I'd admit it showed more annoyance than usual.

"Calm down, we'll be out of here soon, boys." Rochelle replied, placing a hand on my shoulder with a gentle smile. I grinned back at her, giving a nod. I knew she wasn't enjoying this either, hell no one in their right minds could _like_ these conditions. But the fact that she was trying to keep a bright outlook on things was a comfort. Gave me something to hope for at least. I could see Nick roll his eyes at the statement, blowing the face off of a wandering common infected, muttering something about optimism and false hope. I would just let him scowl and huff and well, be himself. That was just how he dealt with things. I gave him a pat on the back, earning a glare before I darted ahead to catch up with Coach, who'd kept a few feet ahead of us for the last twenty minutes or so. Mostly due to the three of us lagging behind and focusing on our conversation, rather than moving from point A to point B.

"Hey, Coach!" I greeted with my usual grin, receiving a nod from the older man as an acknowledgment, as well as a quiet 'hello'. We'd been walking for hours and I wouldn't be surprised if he was looking for a place to rest up for a few minutes. The wound he'd received from a hunter a few days bag, right on his upper thigh, had to be hurting him like hell. He never complained though, not wanting to worry us I was sure. "Hey, there's a lil' shack up ahead, hows 'bout we stop there for a little? I need to get som'a this water outta my gun anyway, hard to do when movin' around."

"Sounds good, boy." Coach gave me a thankful smile and looked over his shoulders at the others, "Hey y'all, we're stopping for a few, alright?" The others didn't make a single sound of protest, no doubt pleased to have an opportunity to stop trekking through the disgusting swamp water and rest, even if it was for just a short moment. No more than half an hour tops, was Coach's rule; They had to keep moving in order to make it to the next safe house by night fall.

I went in first, taking out the few zombies wandering around the interior of the decaying shack, the others following when they knew everything was safe. I was the least hurt and in no need of medical attention, meaning I would be the first to scope things out for a while. Which was fine by me- Meant everyone else was safer. Coach sat down on a small wooden bench, stretching out his bad leg. I had been right about it bothering him. Rochelle sat near him, wanting to be there should anything pop out at us and Coach need immediate assistance. Nick went upstairs to look for supplies, hoping there was some kind of ammo up there to restore the painfully small amount he had left. Should he need it, I'd share my ammo with him but even I was low. The machete at my waist was a last-resort that I'd probably end up having to use. I sat down on the floor of a make-shift kitchen, looking through the bottom cabinets for food. Crumbs were all that remained and I sighed, leaning back against the wood. With luck the safe-house would have some kind of food, but from the looks of it that would be the only food they'd be getting today.

"'Ey, Nick? Ya found anythin'?" I yelled upstairs, studying my shotgun, for no real reason. "Termites." Was the reply I received and I chuckled, "Well come back down 'ere then, there's some cabinets I can't reach. Maybe they got some stuff in 'em." I heard him laugh from upstairs, remarking on my height and I scowled. I wasn't _that_ short! But I shook it off and smiled as he entered the kitchen, using my right hand to point at the higher-up cabinets, "Up there."

"Christ Ellis, it's not that high..." He muttered, reaching up and opening the small wooden doors to search the racks. I grinned, "Aw I know. Jus' didn' much feel like gettin' up." He shot me a glare and I chuckled, pulling my cap down a ways over my eyes. "You know, Kid, If I do find something your lazy ass isn't getting any of it." I laughed at this, pushing myself to my feet, "Tha's a lie, Nick. Ro wouldn't letcha get away with tha' you know. Hell, if anyone wouldn' get anythin' it'd be you." He was about to retort, then stopped, realizing I was right. Rochelle didn't care much for the conman, and made that abundantly clear. Instead of saying something back, he just pulled out a box of stale, half-empty cereal and raised an eyebrow, "Surprised rats haven't gotten to this." I shrugged and took the box from him, "Maybe they don' like Cap'n Crunch." I replied, shoving a handful of cereal in my mouth. Nick snatched the box back, "Yea, right. That's all you're getting, Overalls." I grinned and leaned back, arms behind my head, "Not a problem, not a problem. We should getta move on soon though. It's already evenin' and we don't wanna have to be lookin' for that safe-house in the dark." Nick nodded and went to distribute the stale cereal with the others, reminding them that we had to keep moving. I merely smiled and looked out at the swamp surrounding us; We were going to be okay. I was sure of it.

+**LINEBREAK**+

Alright, crap ending I know. Buuut I just needed a chapter to allow myself to wade into the story itself. And as this is my first time writing this particular pairing, and story, obviously I'm a little out of touch. Maybe some OOC here and there. Trying my best to improve. R and R appreciated.

Thanks 3


	2. Second Hand Smoking

**Chapter Two: Second-Hand Smoking**

I grinned, standing on the roof of a broken down shack, staring at the swamp. The sun had started to set and the safe-house was nowhere in site, but that didn't mean I couldn't admire the view.

"Well sheeet, sure is nice up 'ere!" I commented, quickly shooting a zombie climbing up the walls to my right. Admittedly, now probably wasn't the best time to stop and stare, not when all of us were currently covered in Boomer bile with a hoard on it's way, but then again I didn't get many other chances.

"Ellis, is now the best time?" Nick muttered from behind me, the bullets from his shotgun lodging themselves in the heads of nearby infected. I shrugged, "Okay." I replied simply, opting to use a baseball bat rather than a hunting rifle for the task at hand. Scoping wasn't very useful when at least fifty of the damn creatures were already at your feet, trying to rip into your flesh. A hunter growled from somewhere near and the hair on the back of my neck stood up, "Hunter 'round here somewhere... Keep an eye out, y'all." I instructed as the wooden bat collided with the skull of a pale young woman with a sickening crunch. Everyone grunted in agreement, too caught up in the current task to really take in what I was saying. Which is why when Nick was suddenly tackled off the roof and onto the swampy ground by a hooded figure, no one was really prepared for it. He screamed at the impact, magnum flying from his hand and landing several feet away, his shotgun uselessly strapped to his back. "G-GET IT OFF OF ME!" He yelled, as the Hunter sliced into his arms, the limbs falling to his side as he went into shock from the pain, his chest exposed to the infected's sharp claws.

I didn't think, leaping down from the roof, bat crashing into the Hunter's head and knocking him off of Nick before it's claws could cut too deep, the creature smashing against a wall, stumbling to it's feet only to have it's head taken clean off buy a bullet from Rochelle's shotgun. Worry clouded my mind, knowing full well how badly a Hunter could hurt someone, but before I could run to the conman, a tongue wrapped tightly around my neck and pulled me off my feet. In vain I tried to scream, only to let out a quite choking sound instead, hands desperately trying to loosen the grip of the tongue around me, as it dragged me across the grime. Rochelle shot at the Smoker and missed, swearing as she had to reload. Coach only had his axe, his assault rifle having run out of ammunition a long time ago and was helpless to do anything aside from yell. My body collided with metal siding and suddenly claws were tearing at my flesh, hungry, needy. Everything began to blur together as I struggled for breath, the bat in my hand slipping from my bloody fingertips and falling to the ground a foot below me.

Then suddenly, I was free, air rushing into my lungs as I hit the ground, gasping and tearing away the now limp tongue still sticking to my skin. Nick was at my side in an instant, shotgun out as he embedded lead into the skulls of the zombies that had been tearing at my flesh only moments before. I felt weak as I struggled to push myself to my feet, muscles screaming in protest and I found my self unable to hold back a gasp of pain. Blood was leaking from cuts covering my body, starting to pool around me and I found it sickening that the copper scent was now one I was familiar with, hardly even bothering my nose anymore.

"Shit kid, you gotta get up..." Nick muttered, shooting a lingering common infected before kneeling down, an arm snaking around my waist, "I'll help you, but you gotta get to your feet, alright?" I nodded, wincing as I slowly stood, every part of my body protesting. I was shaky and couldn't see too clearly, glad to have Nick to lean on. My arm was around his shoulders as he helped me get back to the shack, taking me inside of it where Rochelle and Coach were waiting. I frowned as I remembered why I'd been down there in the first place- Nick. He'd been hurt by that Hunter.

"'Ey, Nick, don't worry 'bout me, you're hurt too ain't ya?" I mumbled quietly, blood making it hard to talk and I spit it out on the floor. Rochelle made a face and hurriedly opened her health kit while Nick set me down on a surprisingly sturdy table. "I'm fine, it's you who got the shit beaten out of them." I was about to protest, but stopped when he glared at me, "Not a word, Kid. Ro might just scream if you spit up more goddamn blood." The girl did look close to tears and I guess I must've looked pretty damn messed up. I nodded- Oh god even that hurt -and closed my eyes. I heard Ro gasp a little in shock as she got my shirt off, Coach mumbling something about the wounds being shallow, just areas of major bleeding. I bit my lip as shaking hands started to patch me up, yelping a little when one of Rochelle's nails grazed a cut.

"Oh shit Ellis, I'm sorry!" She apologized, her voice cracking a little. How long had it been since one of them had gotten this hurt? At least a week, maybe two. We were all so careful that it didn't happen often, but when it did...

"Ro, I've got it, alright? Go look for supplies- We'll have to stay here for at least a few hours. Possibly overnight." The hands moved away and ones much more coarse took over- Nick's hands. I mumbled an apology, only to get told to shut the hell up as he worked on bandaging the wounds. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep, the only sounds being Nick's breathing and the scratching of medical tape. A makeshift lullaby, but it was enough.

**+LINEBREAK+**

It was warm, amazingly warm and I found it hard to open my eyelids. Every part of my body felt ten times heavier than normal, like gravity was pulling on my limbs and refusing to let go. I wondered why, then remembered. The smoker, the zombies coming after me, the blood... Nick. Shit, Nick... I made myself open my eyes and look up at a fortified wooden roof above me. Since when did shacks have roofs like this? I turned my head to the left and frowned. A safe-house door was a few feet away, locked up tight. "G-Guys...?"

"Hey y'all, the youngin' is awake!" I heard Coach yell from somewhere, but I was too tired to turn my head to look at him. Instead, I looked back at the ceiling as footsteps approached, heavy ones no doubt from Nick and quick, light ones from Rochelle.

"Oh thank god, Ellis... We were all getting worried..." Ro said, sitting down next to me, her soft smile coming into view. I nodded, managing a small smile back, "Sorry ta worry y'all... When... When did we get ta the safe-'ouse?" I asked, voice hoarse from lack of use. "Just a few hours ago. You've been out for a day now, running a pretty high fever boy. Swamp water must've gotten you sick." She sighed, then looked over at someone that I couldn't see from my place on the floor, "Nick's taken good care of you. Even carried you here." She smirked lightly as the conman scoffed from someplace to my right, and I realized she must be looking at him.

"He's too heavy for you Ro, and Coach has a bad leg. Not like we could just wake him and have him walk." Nick muttered and I smiled a little, "Hell, sorry ta make ya do tha', Nick. Not tryin'a be a burden." "...Whatever. Just owed you one is all... For that Hunter..." He mumbled after a minute and I had to laugh a little- It was rare to make Nick feel anything but confident in what he said and did. It was almost like a trophy to make him a little nervous, squirm a little in his not-so-white suit.

"We'll stay here for the rest of the day, and the night, alright? Then we gotta get goin'. Think you'll be alright to go, youngin?" Coach asked and I nodded, "Sure thing, Coach!" I replied, wincing and I forced myself to sit up, despite Ro's quite protests, "I'll be fine." My grin was back, as usual. I had to be optimistic, happy, keep everyone thinking on the bright side. It seemed to work because Rochelle smiled and relaxed, getting to her feet, "Right... Nick you stay here with Ellis, Coach and I will go look around the area." Nick nodded as the two grabbed their guns, giving me a small smile before leaving. Nick strode across the room, locking the door back up behind them.

A long moment of silence followed, filling the room. Nick moved to the opposite side of the room and leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling with his hands in his pockets. I fidgeted, not used to sitting so still and quiet and leaned back against the wall behind me, staring at Nick, "...Did I ever tell ya 'bout the time me and Keith went swimmin' in tha' dead of winter? Yea, it was all iced over but only tha' top an' Keith really wan'ed to go swimmin', so we jus' cracked the ice with a big ol' stick and jumped in. Maaaaan, it was _cold_! I couldn' even feel my feet, an'-"

"Ellis. Now the best time?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow. I shrugged, "Ain't the worst time. No zombies runnin' at us or nothin'." I replied, "But If ya really don' want me to talk I can stop I guess. Jus' don' like the silence much I guess." I smiled a little, pulling my cap down over my eyes a little. I was glad it was still there, that Nick hadn't taken it or lost it. Green eyes stared me down for what felt like forever, and I was tempted to ask him to knock it off, when his eyes changed instead to the wall beside him, "You one of those people who needs noise to be comfortable?" He asked and I shrugged, "I guess so, I mean never really thought 'bout it. But now that ya mention it... I guess I do like it better when there's somethin' makin' noise. ...Does it annoy ya or somethin'?" Nick shook his head, but didn't say anything else. I allowed the room to settle back into silence and focused instead on my thoughts. If Nick wanted quiet, I could at least do that, couldn't I?

Something hit the wall of the safehouse from the outside and I jumped a little, reaching to grab the gun that was thankfully, still holstered to my leg. Nick raised an eyebrow at me, "Jumpier than usual." I shrugged at the comment, relaxing a little when the sound didn't happen again. Maybe i'd imagined it, or it was some kind of animal, "Jus' bein' prepared, ya know." I replied with a smile, one that was truthfully, a little forced. The pain of my wounds was slowly snaking it's way back up through my body as the effects of whatever treatment I'd been given wore off. A frown came to Nick's face and I already knew what it was for. He was a conman, spent his time in casinos and learned to read through peoples' masks for a living. No doubt he'd seen through mine in a heartbeat. "You're in pain." Not a question, a statement, though I still shook my head, "Naw, I'm alrigh'! Ain't nothing too bad!"

This apparently wasn't a good enough answer, because ten seconds later Nick was at my side, taking off my bandages. He needed to change the gauze anyway, he'd stated when I'd argued, and since I had been out cold for so long I wasn't really ready to take on my own healing care yet. In the end I just shut up and let him do as he pleased. Who was I to argue with him? I heard him hiss, quietly and unintentionally, and against my better judgment I looked down at my wounds. God I wish I hadn't.

I could see where my skin had been removed in ribbons, crimson stains etching across my stomach and chest, still bleeding despite having been made over a day ago. Dark black and purple bruises were lining the scratches, creating the look of skin that was beaten over and over with an aluminum bat. Some of the more shallow cuts blistered and were a sickening shade of red, showing sure signs of an infection that would no doubt need better care than we could give it here, in the bacteria infested swamp. I found myself biting my lip, watching Nick's hands move over my skin as they worked on re-bandaging my torso. "...Got pretty messed up, did'n I?" I asked quietly, with a small frown. Nick nodded, "...Yea. You did. ...What were you thinking, just jumping down there?" He mumbled, an edge to his voice. The kind parents gave to children when they got hurt doing something to help another sibling or friend. I laughed lightly, "Well hell, couldn' just leave ya! Just saw ya on the ground and kinda... Reacted." Nick rolled his eyes, "Just don't do it again. I... We need you a little longer, alright? Getting yourself hurt like this won't help anything." He mumbled and I had to smile a little. Even if he wouldn't admit it, he was concerned about me.

'Guess he ain't heartless after all.'


	3. Carefully Reckless

It was late I knew, from how high the moon was, though the time was unknown. It had been a while since the watch on Coach's wrist worked, and there weren't exactly analog clocks just hanging around the safe house. I wasn't sure when I had fallen asleep, but I knew I was awake now and sleep didn't seem like much of an option as pain licked at my limbs and stomach. Holding in a whimper, I pushed myself into a sitting position to reach the bottle of pain pills sitting on the table behind me.

And of course, the bottle was empty.

With a sigh I turned away from the teasing white bottle and clenched my hands tightly. Nick had done a good job bandaging me up and I was thankful. If it wasn't for him, I'd be in a hell of a lot more pain. A loud snore caught my attention and my eyes went to Coach's sleeping form. Only one or two feet away from him was Nick, sleeping on the floor with his jacket as a pillow. Ro must have been on watch, as her silhouette was nowhere to be found among my sleeping teammates.

"Hey honey, you feeling okay?" I knew it was Ro, just from the sound, and looked to my right at the older woman, a small smile on my face.

"Yea, jus' fine, Ro." I whispered, not wanting to wake anyone up. It was a lie, and the wince that followed my words wasn't left unnoticed. She sighed and sat down beside me, taking my hand in hers. Considering how cold it was, the body heat was welcome, and as my hands only had a couple scratches it didn't hurt me at all. "Ellis, don't lie to me." She frowned and I looked at the floor, feeling like a child being scolded by his mother, "If it didn't hurt I'd be surprised. We'll look for some pain pills when we head out in the morning, okay?" I started to protest, stating that someone might need them more than I did and she cut me off with a glare, "Don't argue with me. We'll be fine; you worry about you right now." With hesitance, I nodded, the fingers of my free hand playing with the fabric of my hat. She gave my hand a gentle squeeze before returning to her post and leaving me in silence. As my stomach started to sting beneath the bandages I sighed- It was going to be a long day.

+**LINEBREAK**+

"Ellis, keep up." Nick snapped, in a foul mood after having lost one of his rings in the swamp water. We hadn't found any pills and I was lagging behind by a few feet due to pain. But I made myself walk faster and Rochelle shot Nick a glare, no doubt annoyed by his mood. If he saw the look he was given, he didn't care as he shot a zombie wandering aimlessly around the dirt path. I kept my baseball bat in hand, should I need to use it in a split second. A hunting rifle was carried on my back, the need for sniping rare.

"Righ', sorry, Nick." I apologized with a grin, watching as he rolled his eyes at me. He didn't reply, just taking a few steps ahead of the group, his magnum held tightly in his hand. There was a limp to his step, I noticed, most likely from the hunter that had gotten him yesterday. I felt myself frown slightly, but shook my head, deciding not to ask if he was alright. Nick tended to get mad when I did that, saying he was fine and could take care of himself. I'd just learned not to ask anymore. I'd simply be near him in case he needed help.

"Guys, I hear a witch… Lights off." Rochelle whispered and all our lights went off without a second thought. Better safe than sorry, we all figured.

As we walked deeper into the swamp, water sloshing in our shoes and bugs biting at our skin, the crying got louder. The chilling cry sent shivers down my spine and I found myself gripping the bat tighter, as though the wooden object would somehow save me from the hellish fury of a startled witch.

And just our luck, we found her, sitting right in the middle of the path we needed to follow.

"Shit…" Nick muttered under his breath, reloading his gun. A magnum wasn't strong enough to take her out with one, or even two, shots, but it was good in the case of self-defense. "Well… Any ideas?" He asked quietly and we all looked at each other, waiting for someone to give an idea. After a minute of silence, I finally mumbled, "Well I could startle 'er, and then y'all could shoot 'er down…" Rochelle frowned at this idea, putting her hands on her hips.

"You mean using you as bait?" She asked and I hesitantly nodded, "Yea. I-I mean, hell, I'd prolly startle 'er anyway, might as well be ready fo' it fo' once." I shrugged and she bit her lip. It was true, I did startle the witch the most, though unintentionally. I was a magnet for the damn things according to Coach, and while it was a far from comforting thought, I could at least use it to my advantage.

"Ellis, sweetie, it's risky…" Rochelle said slowly, thinking it over in her head. I shrugged, "I know. But hell, what else we gon' do? We gotta get past 'er." The group fell into an unsettled silence, all of them knowing this was true, and they were left with few options. Minutes passed, and finally they agreed, though reluctantly. Rochelle urged me to be careful and I simply accepted it, though inwardly I wondered if there even _was_ a 'careful' when it came to a witch.

I slowly approached the crying woman, hand tightly gripping my bat. My gun wouldn't be of much use against her, not at close range and trying to shoot her from far off in the dark, slimy surroundings of the swamp was not a good idea. Of course, neither was purposely provoking her, but… Well, it was a zombie apocalypse. You did what you could.

The loud cries became a soft growl as she heard me approaching, despite my best efforts to stay quiet. Even if I was the bait, I wasn't in a hurry to get my insides torn out. I kept walking, slowly, as the growls got louder and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, the beating loud enough to drown out almost everything else. Then she screamed and adrenaline began rushing through my veins, screaming at my legs to move and move fast. I didn't hesitate to obey, turning on my heel and running, tripping over tree roots and rocks as I did so. I could hear gunshots and screams of pain, but I couldn't slow down. She wouldn't stop until either she or I was dead, and I wanted to make damn sure it wasn't the latter.

"Shit-!" I yelped, my ankle giving out under me and I fell to the ground. Panic hit me as I heard the screams getting ever closer and I turned onto my back quickly. It wasn't fast enough and she was there above me, claws out. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact, for the sickening feel of sharp nails ripping through my flesh and dragging my intestines out piece by piece.

"God dammit, Ellis, get up!" A voice shouted from over me and my eyes snapped open to see Nick standing at my side as he pulled the trigger of his shotgun. The bullet hit the witch mid-face and I cringed as dead skin and bone crumpled inwards from the force of being hit at point-blank range. Her body fell back into the dirt and mud, silenced as blood pooled out from her face.

I shakily sat up, Rochelle and Coach running to us, both fear and relief shown on their faces. I gave them a smile and turned my head to thank Nick, but the words didn't come. My joy at having been saved was demolished quickly by a feeling of worry as I stared at the conman. He had a hand over his stomach, thick, crimson liquid spilling out from between his fingers. It dripped down his suit and onto the ground, staining everything it touched a sickening red. Ignoring the pain of my throbbing ankle and grazed limbs, I pushed myself to my feet and fumbled with the health pack on my back.

"Ellis, don't… Don't worry about that now-"

"Shut up." I snapped and he fell silent, the only time he'd ever listened to me. I made him sit down, fingers shaking as I got out the medical supplies, Rochelle and Coach approaching either side of me. I hardly even noticed, too focused on the blood and the pain on Nick's face and the fact that it was _my fault_. If I hadn't fallen…

I shook my head, needing to focus and moved Nick's hand from his stomach. The blood poured faster and I had to work fast, getting his jacket and shirt off in a matter of seconds. I popped a few buttons but Nick didn't seem to notice, and I wasn't going to point it out now. I didn't have any anti-bacterial, much to my annoyance, but I'd have to make due with a small amount of water from a bottle as I washed out the wound to prevent infection. Nick hissed at the contact and I apologized quietly, my hat preventing our eyes from meeting. I didn't mind- I didn't need to see the accusation in his eyes. Carefully, doing my best not to hurt him, I pulled needle and thread though his skin, stitching up the wound. I mentally thanked Keith for always getting hurt and making me an expert on stitches. When I was done, gauze was wrapped around his stomach a few times to keep everything in place and catch the small amount of blood still seeping through the thread.

"Shit… I know you're hurt and all, but we have to keep moving…" Rochelle said quietly and Nick nodded, knowing it was better if we could reach the safe house by daylight. He tried to push himself to his feet and fell back to the ground, a pained intake of breath following. Before anyone could help, I moved my arm to loop around him, moving his over my shoulder and lifted him to his feet, allowing his weight to fall on me.

"I got 'im, les' get movin'." I said quietly, starting to walk. The others nodded and followed, Coach in front of the two of us, and Rochelle behind. Nick and I were silent the entire walk, save a few times when a smoker had tried to grab one of us, or a hunter was around. It was the most quiet it had been in a while, and it allowed me to think. I didn't like to be left to my thoughts, it was one of the reasons I talked so much, but I didn't want to risk distracting anyone or annoying Nick, not right now.

'_My fault…_' I thought, guilt gnawing at my insides, '_Ya jus' had to fall… An' look what happened. Nick got hurt. Ya were the bait jus' so that none of 'em would get hurt… Can't do anythin' right, can ya…?'_

"Dammit…" I whispered and Nick looked at me. I smiled, "When we get to the safe 'ouse I'll change out yer bandages and try'n find some anti-bacterial stuff." I said quickly, before he could ask why I had sworn. He frowned but nodded, no doubt able to see that something was wrong. I just looked away and focused on getting to the safe house safely, without another slip of the tongue.

I bit my lip and tasted copper.

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**Author's Notes:** Well, third chapter down! Yay! Thank you all for the faves, watches, and absolutely wonderful comments. They made my day, honestly.

Thank you to my bestie, Ash (AwesomeAshCakes), for help with this story. Without her, I'd still be staring at a blank page on a screen wondering what to do.

I know it's moving slowly but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Things will start to happen soon-ish, I promise.

Also, in about 2 weeks I am going to France for a field trip, and I don't know that I will be able to write. I will be gone for about a week, and will be jet-lagged as hell when I get back, so that's about a week and three days at least of no updates. Sorry about that. I'll try to get another chapter or two out before I leave. Just so you guys know what's going on.


	4. Just That Little Bit Closer

**Important-ish Author's Note(s) (Please Read):** Hello everyone! :) I think this might be my fastest update... Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter! Don't worry, I'm starting to work on their relationship in this one -winkwink- to get out of the mundane events going on. But! I have a small dilemma. I'm in need of an rp buddy to be my Nick. I enjoy RP-ing and all my friends hate it. Bit of a problem. +10 healthpacks to whomever helps me out here!

Now onto the story:

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I leaned back again the safe house wall, Nick laying on a make-shift bed not two feet away. Rochelle and Coach were sleeping upstairs while I was supposed to be on watch. And technically I was, being awake still and within reach of the door, but I was paying more attention to Nick than I was to the zombies outside. The conman had been woken from his sleep, again, due to the pain in his chest and had decided to just stay up, staring at the ceiling. I hadn't said anything, content to just watch over him. Though he'd probably go out of his way to prove me wrong, I thought of him as a friend. Rochelle and Coach were more of... Family figures to me. Nick on the other hand, I just couldn't see as a member of our make-shift family. He still had a spot there, but not in the same sense as the others.

Was it strange, that he was the one I wanted to be closest to?

"...Ellis, I know you're watching me."

I jumped, blood rushing to my face and I quickly pulled my hat down to hide it, "Wh-what? No I ain't!" I protested, the stutter giving me away. I'm sure he rolled his eyes when he sighed, though he didn't sit up to look at me properly. Smarter than I was- I'd be jumping up to argue if I were him, despite any wounds I had.

"You're a horrible liar..." He mumbled, "Want to tell me why you're being such a creep, Overalls?" I huffed and crossed my arms, "Jeez, Nick, I was jus' makin' sure ya were alright! Ya were mumblin' stuff in yer sleep, ain't I allowed to worry 'bout cha?" He was quiet for a minute, before shrugging and giving a snort. He had no reply to that and I sighed, giving a smile, "Want me to try'na find some pain pills for ya?" I asked and he shook his head, "No... Don't think we have any, Ro checked earlier..." It was quiet for a bit after that, neither of us having anything to say. Finally I moved closer, making Nick look at me with a raised eyebrow. I grinned, "Wanna hear a story?" I asked, fully expecting the usual, 'Is now the best time, Ellis?' or the more rare, but not uncommon, 'Shut up you damn hick.' But I wanted to offer something to take Nick's mind off his pain.

"...Sure."

That threw me a bit and my look became one of confusion, "...Really?" I asked, making sure I hadn't heard wrong. Nick nodded, "Go ahead. Hell, not like I have anything better to do..." He muttered and I grinned, "A'ight, man! So this one time, Keith and I was ridin' in one of them cop cars, don' ask me why, 'cause I don' even 'member. I think it mighta had somethin' to do wit' this real old woman livin' behind Keith's house..." I trailed off, then shook my head before continuing, "Anyway! So we was in the back of the car, right? And it wasn' the firs' time either, so we jus' talked and shit like normal, but then holy shiiiit man, this huge deer runs out in fron' of the car and we swerve so we don' hit it, ya know? Well the car flipped like, thirty times, man! Landed in a river at the bottom of a hill, not too deep though, so we didn' drown or nothin'. But Keith tried to get outta the car through the window, 'cause the doors were all stuck and shit. And well, this fish bit 'im right on the nose! I didn't know fish had teeth, but Keith is livin' proof man. Still gotta a scar from it." I grinned, remembering my friend flailing and trying to pry the fish off his face with a broken door handle. That damn thing really wanted to take a chunk out of him.

"...Ellis, has it ever occurred to you that you and your buddy should be dead from all the shit you say happened?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow and I just laughed, "Course it has! But we ain't dead, shit, I'm livin' in a zombie apocalypse, ain't dead yet and this is worse than all that other shit combined!" Nick was silent for a second, then asked something that made the grin disappear.

"How do you know Keith is still alive?"

I paused, thinking about it. True, he had gotten on one of the first helicopters out of here, but what if his pilot turned into a zombie like ours did? Or they'd crashed, or wherever they went it wasn't as safe as they thought it was? Sure, Keith was pretty much indestructible but...

"...I jus' keep hopin' he is, I guess." I said quietly after a few minutes had passed, "Ain't got nothin' much left but hope..." I murmured, trailing off. Hot tears pricked in my eyes and I quickly wiped them away, not allowing them to fall. I was the happy, cheerful one that kept everyone's spirits up. I couldn't cry... I wasn't suppose to break...

A hand gently worked it's way into my own and held it tightly. I looked down to see three rings settled upon the fingers that held my own and my eyes quickly moved to Nick's face. The conman wasn't looking at me, no doubt embarrassed by his own action. He wasn't one to care for anyone but himself.

"...We'll get through this, Kid. Just keep your chin up."

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"Well boys, just a little longer and we'll be out of this swamp mess!" Rochelle smiled at us as she talked into the radio at the plantation. We'd made it this far and I was feeling elated- We'd be okay. We kept her safe while she talked to Virgil, the french-sounding man who was on a boat near us, until she was done. "Just ten minutes. We can hold out that long, can't we?" She asked and we all nodded. We could. We ran back to the house to have a better vantage point as the hoards started coming.

"Guys, shiiiitload of bombs over here!" I yelled, pocketing a pipe bomb. My personal favorite had to be the Molotovs, but that was the only one not available. Nick was still in bad shape and kept back from the front lines, a bile bomb he'd found earlier in his coat pocket. I stayed near him to make sure he was alright, but as the tanks started coming I found this to be a harder task than I'd thought. The brutes picked up a table and threw it at Rochelle. The woman moved out of the way but the object got her leg and she fell. In ten seconds, at most, the tank was over her, arms up and about to strike. I had to leave Nick, impulsively, to save Rochelle. Coach grabbed her while I shot at the thing with a shotgun I'd picked up inside. The zombie groaned and turned, smacking me back into a marble post. It hurt, but I had to keep moving as it came after me. The tank picked up a large rock was about to throw it-

It dropped dead, falling to the ground.

I looked up to see Nick on the higher balcony with Coach, a sniper in his hand. I grinned and gave him a wave to show my thanks. The gambler simply nodded and returned to sniping as I ran back inside to Rochelle. She wasn't too hurt, but there was some dark bruises all over her leg. The boat needed to get here soon- Two of us now would have trouble walking. If Coach or I got hurt as well... I shuddered.

"Boat's damn near here!" Nick yelled from above us and I smiled- Thank god. Luck was on our side. I picked Rochelle up as the boat pulled into the dock. Coach gave us the OK to go, watching out for Nick, and I ran. Halfway across the field something whizzed over my head and my heart starting beating at an amazing pace.

_Another_ tank?

"Ellis, put me down, you'll need to shoot-"

"I'll be fine. Les' jus' get ya to the boat." I cut her off and she didn't protest further. 20 feet away.

Then 10.

Then 5.

Then none, and I was jumping onto the water vehicle with Ro. I grinned, feeling accomplished; We'd made it. We were okay. I set her down gently and turned to see how Nick and Coach were making out. I felt relieved at how close they were, no more than 30 feet off. Nick was limping and the sleeve of his white jacket had been torn off, and Coach had blood dripping from his shoulder, but they were coming. They were going to okay, all of them. Coach was just a few feet ahead as he crossed onto the boat, and Nick was close, ten feet, almost there.

Then the tank got to him, a rock smashing into his back and he fell to the ground. My eyes widened and I screamed at him to get up. He tried, he really did, arms shaking as he tried to force himself up. We all shot at the massive zombie that was quickly nearing him, trying to kill it. God forbid it get near our teammate. It was getting ever closer and we weren't going to get it in time.

"Shit..." I jumped off the boat despite Ro and Coach's protests and was at Nick's side in a second. I scooped him up, much like a husband would do to his new bride and I probably hurt him but that wasn't important right now. I'd fix the wounds later. Ducking to avoid a thrown object- was that a tractor? -I ran until I reached the boat and Virgil sped off.

We were safe.

"Dammit Ellis..." Nick coughed after I put him down, "Too fucking reckless..." He muttered and I grinned, "But yer okay. And thas what matters, ain't it?"

"...Yea, I guess. Thanks, Kid."

I think that was the first time I'd ever seen him give me a real smile.

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I looked out over the side of the boat, grinning. The swamp wasn't too bad when you weren't being chased down my zombies and mud men in a fight for your life. In fact, it was rather peaceful. Rochelle seemed to have motion sickness however, leaving her anchored to a spot on the side of the boat, puking every half hour or so. Coach stayed with her, cleaning her up and trying to get her to eat something. Virgil had some food on his boat, more than just stale cereal. Sure, it wasn't much, but canned corn and uncooked beans was better than nothing. Rochelle had gotten a spoonful of corn down and then simply threw it back up. After that, she wasn't really in the mood to eat anything.

"'Ey, Nick. What'dya think we'll find when we get outta this swamp?" I asked the conman sitting on the floor beside me, a cigarette in his mouth. He'd found a lighter and a half-empty pack below deck and Virgil had graciously let him have them. Ellis wasn't too keen on the smell, but if it calmed Nick's nerves, so be it.

"More fucking zombies." Nick mumbled and I laughed, "Well no shit, man... I meant other than that." I looked down at him at the same time he looked up, our eyes meeting. He shrugged, not looking away, taking the cigarette out of his mouth, "Don't know, Kid... Trees, dirt?" I rolled my eyes and sat next to him, "What 'bout when we reach N'Orleans?"

"..." Nick didn't reply and I knew he was thinking the worst. That we'd be too late and that all this would be in vain. I'd admit, I'd thought about it too but hadn't voiced my thoughts. Optimism, that was what I gave.

"I think we'll be okay." I said quietly, hugging my knees to my chest, "Jus' gotta keep hopin' for the best... Stay together..." Nick took another drag of his cigarette and looked up at the sky, "Always looking on the bright side, aren't you?" He mumbled and I smiled, "No point in lookin' at the downside all the time." Nick didn't reply and the rest of the day was spent in silence.

I fell asleep beside him.

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Well there, a tad bit more involved, right? Rushed through his area a bit because well... I hated this campaign the most. Ever. It was so fucking hard to move. But it was good to use to practice with Nick's attitude issues. BUT WE'RE OUT OF THERE NOW THANK THE LORD. Sorry if it seemed a bit rushed, as I said, I hate this place and the plantation house was like hell on earth. Writing about it makes me remember... -shudders-. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Reviews keep me motivated to write, so if you'd be so kind...?


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